Besides our new Forest Camps project, Sierra Club's PEI Wild Child is an enrichment program offered free of charge in Childcare Centres across PEI. Wild Child gives children the opportunity to engage positively with the natural environments in their communities; through games, art, discussions and various fun activities, children learn about our native plants, animals and trees, and basic ecological concepts including; conservation, habitats, life cycles and more. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations, minds and bodies to explore wild places and discover all the wonders they have to offer. This nature immersion program is designed to strengthen the “outdoors” component of existing child care services, and was developed by Sierra Club in response to the growing body of research showing that children need experiences in the natural world for healthy development, addressing the issue of 'nature deficit disorder', where increasingly children are disconnected from nature in their day-to-day lives.

"Looking up close at bugs, trees and other wild life; watching and listening to birds and other sounds of nature can have a profound effect on our mental health, and young children especially need opportunities to take a break from modern technology, to relax and connect to the natural world," - Hanna Hameline, Founding Program Coordinator.

We need more donors and community organizations to help us reach more 'Wild Children' in the years ahead and ensure that children from all walks of life are given the opportunity to explore more nature.

To make a donation to our Environmental Education programs (and get a tax receipt - be sure to put ‘PEI Wild Child’ in the comments box!) click here.

We’re pleased to be able to offer a thank you gift for donations of $100 or more: John Sylvester's book 'Wild Island', which shows the beautiful coastlines and wild ecology of PEI. John is a multi-award winner (see http://www.johnsylvester.com/profile.php) and one of John's photos is featured on a 2017 Canadian coin.